Species Information

The Sydney Blue Gum is a large Australian tree thatâ€™s commonly found along the seaboard of New South Wales, as well as in Queensland. Itâ€™s a fairly common plantation timber in Australia and South Africa, and can reach heights of up to 210 feet.

English naturalist James Edward Smith provided the moniker for this tree back in 1797, and the name has stuck since then. Interestingly, while its scientific name is Eucalyptus saligna (with saligna referring to a likeness to a willow), there is no clear resemblance to the willow tree.

The trunk of the Sydney Blue Gum is smooth and pale grey or white. Thereâ€™s typically a skirt of rough brown back near the base of the tree.

It grows in tall forests, on clay or loam soils, as well as on alluvial sands. It is a component of the endangered Blue Gum High Forest ecological community found in the Sydney region.

Scientific Names

The scientific name for Sydney Blue Gum is Eucalyptus saligna.

Origin

Sydney Blue Gum is found within 75 miles of the coastline of New South Wales to Maryborough in central Queensland. It can also be found in central Queensland, Eungella National Park, Kroombit Tops, Consuelo Tableland, Blackdown Tableland, and Carnaryon Gorge.

For the most part, however, the tree originates near Sydney, which is how it earned its name.

Crossover Names

Janka Rating

Sydney Blue Gum has a Janka hardness rating of 2,023, making it similar to Australian Karri. It is considerably harder than Red Oak.

*TheÂ JankaÂ rating measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear. Click Here for more info.

Appearance

The heartwood of Sydney Blue Gum has a range from soft brown to deep red. The sapwood, however, is far lighter in coloring. The colors of Sydney Blue Gum tend to mute over time and darken to medium-brown red. The wood itself has an interlocked or straight grain. Gum vein and gum pockets are common.

Workability

Sydney Blue Gum is an extremely hard and tough wood. As such, youâ€™ll experience some degree of difficulty with both hand and power tools. When installing the flooring, itâ€™s recommended that you use a manual nailer. However, staples and pneumatic nailers can also be used.

Sydney Blue Gum holds screws well, and does well with glues, stains and polishes, resulting in an extremely attractive finish.

Sanding the wood can be a challenge, thus professional sanding and finishing is recommended. Sydney Blue Gum is extremely resistant to decay and insects.